Hebbebt t



H. T. FOGG.

CONTAINER CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7. 191a.

Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. T. FOGG.

CONTAINER CRATE.

APPLICATION FlLED SEPT. 1. I915 1,303,873. Patented May 20,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- n liests: izz/512% HERBERT T. FOGG,-0F EAST .QR'ANGE,NEW JERSEYLASSIGNOR 'lO NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, oENEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATIONDF- NEW JERSEY.

CONTAINER-CRATE.

"Specification of Letters-Patent. 'Patented MayZO, 1919.

Application fil'e'cl September 7, 1916. j Sria1No. 118,794.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, HERBERTT. Fooc, a

"citizen of theUnited 'States, residing at East board and comprisingintersecting and interlockedmembers arranged to provide a cratelikestructure, adapted to be inserted into the carton or container and toreceive and separate the several rows of biscuits or other contentsasthey are packed in superimposed layers. Each crate or separator ispreferably designed to accommodate one layer of the goods, and soconstructed to form a.se

ries ofhorizontally arranged compartments or units'adapted to receiveand sep'arate'the several ro'ws of each layer, thereby preventing thelateral shifting and movement of the contents of each layer, whichotherwise would lead to breakage and damaging of the woods, in thetransportation or handling of the containers or cartons. vThe severalcrates an'd'the'layers contained therein are preferably separated by theuse ofpartition' sheets placed intermediate each of such layers, and

thereby serving to support the several crate layers one upon the other.

The object sought to be accomplished in the'manufacture of cratesor'separators is to reduce thecost oflabor and material entering intothe production ofthese articles, and

' ofequal' importance the production of a sepa'rat'or whoseconstructionwill "facilitate packingof the goods in the carto-nsor con- Itain'ers,'thatf is, by making it possible to place the crate partiallyassembledinto the container, and to insert the remaining parts as thelpacking .of the goods progresses. It is toward the attainment of these g lb- 1 tha the features of .the present invention "are directed, as "wellas. certain other out.

objects, which will hereinafter a; pointed The device embodying thefeatures of my lllYGIltlOIl'lS clearly set forth in the descriptronwhich follows, and fil-llyillustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich' Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a single crate or separatorembodying the features'of theinvention;

Fig. 2is a view inxelevation of the blank from which the 'bodymembe'risformed;

Fig. 3 I cross or crate strip;

4 is a view iinperspective showing the manner in which the body membermay be closed by the provision of overlapping flaps connected together;v a

Fig. 5 is a detail view i-n'p'erspective showing the arrangement of thenotches in the flaps shown in Fig. 4:;

Fig. '6 is a modified form of the crate, with end SVlllgSfOlCl'Q-d inone position;

Fig. 7 is a' ;perspective view of one of the members of'Figi6, with theend wings folded in reverse position;

Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of the members of Fig. 6 in'blank form;

Fig. 9v is a view of' the endportion of a cross strip used with themembers arranged as in Fig. 6; and I a Fig. 10'isa'view of the endportion of a cross strip used with the members arranged as in Fig. 7.

Referring now in a general Way to the construction of a crate orseparator embodying my invention, the same comprises a plurality ofstrips adapted to stand on edge and arranged in a series of parallelstrips; extend'ing at right angles to each other, the strips of each"series having interlocking connection with the strips of the otherseries by the provision of "locking "notches, thereby forming a crate ofcomparatively rigid and self supporting construction.

Although the preceding description is applicable" to a general classofcrates, the novel and, improved features of construction embodyingthepresent invention "will now be described in; detail. 4 v

The mate, consisting ofinterseetiiig strips is a view in elevation of asingle as before stated, comprises abody member and a series oftransverse or cross strips 11. The body member, as shown inthe blank inFig. 2, is a strip of sheet material having a width equal to the heightof the completed crate and a length substantially three times thelongitudinal dimension of a single strip.v This strip is divided into.

three sections of substantially equal length.

to wit, two end sections 12, 12; and a 0611- tral section 13, saidportions being separated bysuitable score lines, as will here matter bedescribed. Theend sections are 1dent1cal in formation and are adapted tobe bent at right angles to and extend in the'saine direction from thecentral sectlon 13, said end sections forming the two uprightand-parallel strips which extend at. right angles to and engage thecross strips-11, 11,'the adjacent. ends being connected together by thecentral section 13,

which extends parallel to the cross strips and, lnfact, forms theoutermost cross strip along one side ofthe crate. At the points" ofconnection o'r folding where the blank is bent to form the threesections, the following arrangements of cuts and scorelmes are provided:Extending fro th -1 gitudinal margi-n of the blank are perpendicularscore lines let, 1 1, which terminate midway between the upper and lowermar- I gins.

inner ends of said score linesl l and into the central section are twocuts 15, 15,.each.

Extending longitudinally from the of whichjoins at its outer end a cut16, extendingat right angles toeach cut 15 and intersecting the lowerlongitudinal .margin of the blank strip. The adjacent end por-.

tions of said cuts 15 and 16 are preferably curved, in orderto provide arounded corner, for the tongue. to be formed by said score lines andcuts, as will presently be .pointed out. Upon bending the blank alongthe score lines 141-, 14, so as to dispose the end sect ons at rightangles to the central section as shown in Fig 1, the portions ineludedbetween the edges of the cuts 1 5, 16 and the lower margin of the blankstrip, torm't-ongues. 17 17, which are integral.

withthe central section, and which extendoutwardly from the ends of saidend sections beyond and at right angles thereto, when the blank isfolded into rectangular form.

' dieular score line 18, spaced a short distance inwardly from the endmargins of the end section and extending parallel thereto from. theupper longitudinal margin thereof, to point midway. between the upperandv vlowerlongitudinal margins ,ga cut 19 ex-, tending longitudinally.lrom' the inner end of said score linelS and in a direction away fromthe free end margin of the section, and

At each of the free ends of the end sections is provided a similararrangement on score lines and cuts, namely, perpena transverse cut 20extending from the end of said longitudinal cut 19. This formation ofscore lines and cuts forms awlng or flap 21 at the free end of each endsection, which is adapted to be bent inwardly along "the score line 18,as shown in Fig. 1, there being formed also a tongue 22, as before,

, whicligis integral withand remains in the tance substantially equal toone-half the width of the strip. .These'notches are preferably V-shaped,having one edge perpendicular to said. margin. and complementary edge.at an angle'thereto. Although the particular shape ofthe notches isimmaterial, it may be pointed out that they are formed in the mannerstated to avoid. the difliculty which is experienced in cutting narrownotches in the material, of a width required to receive thethickness-ofthe cross strips; The remainin members of the com )lete b i I i 1. crateare the cross strips 11. before ,men-

'tioned. These strips (Fig. 3 are rec-tangular in shape and formed froma single thickness of the sheet. material. In one of the longitudinalmargins of each strip areprovided lockmg notches 2 1, preferably spacedinwardly from the ends of the stripand formedV-shaped as are the notchesofthe body member 10 and for the same reasons.

In assembling the several membersof the crate it is to be understoodthat this operation is preferably carried on simultaneously .wvith thepacking of each layer; thusfthe' first'step is to insert within thecontainer the body member 10 (without the cross 7 strips) with its partsfolded as hereinbefore' described, and in upright position, with itslower margins resting upon the bottom sur face ofthe container orthepartition sheet of the layer immediately below. Inasmuch as the bodymember is not supportedby the cross strips, as when the crate iscompletely assemblechitis the purpose, ,amongothers, of the wings andtongues to maintain the body inemberin upright position, and inrectangular shape, prior to the addition of the cross strips. Thepurpose of the wings and tongues will. be more clearly understood fromthe following: The body member is proportioned to fitsnugly within thecon tainer,and hence theends of the tongues 17 and 22 at the ends of thesections 12, 12, will engage or abut againstt e walls the contamer, andthus act to space-said sections away from said walls and maintainthesame in parallel relation, as well as to prevent the shifting ormovement of the body member within the container after the same has beenplaced therein. Furthermore, the wings 21, 21, together with the tongues22, 22 integral therewith, provide, in effect, transverse supportingmembers or feet which support the free ends of the body member inupright position in the absence of the cross strips. The body member isfurther proportioned so that upon placing the body member within thecontainer, the central section lies flatwise against the adjacent wallof the container, as do the outer surfaces of the wings 21, 21 and thetongues 22, 22; thus themovement of the body member longitudinally ofthe end sections is prevented.

' The body member having been placed within the container as described,the goods are packed in the form of rows, arranged transversely of thenotched sections, there being added a cross-strip after each row ispacked, until the entire layer is completed. It is manifest that, byreason of the construction of the body member, the same is retained inthe proper upright position and rectangular form to permit the insertionof the cross strips and the interlocking of the several notches of thebody member therewith, without necessitating a. subsequent shifting ofthe goods in order to reare conside'a/bly longer than the. wings of thepreviously described form, said flaps being of a length sufficient tooverlap at their ends when folded into the same plane. Although anysuitable means may be employed for connecting the overlapping endportion of these flaps together, one method consists inproviding lockingnotches 27, 27, located at the ends and onopposite margins of the flaps,which maybe interlocked by. inserting one notch 27 int-o the other, inthe manner shown in Fig. 5.

The provision of the overlapping and joined together flaps permits amore construction, which enables the body memher to retain its properrectangular contour during the packing operation and before the crossstrips are added.

Inadditionto the forms of crate already described, it is desirable alsoto provide a crate or separator that is adjustable to a certain degree,as regards the spacing ofthe parallel .or end sectionsof the body memberfrom the walls of the container. In order to secure a degree ofadjustability,the fol lowing construction is resorted to, which departsfrom the forms already described only in the details specificallyreferred to and. shown in Figs. 6 to 10.

In this form of the device the body member comprises two identicallyformed sections 30, 30, which are disconnected from each other by theomission of the central sectionof the previous forms. and hence thesections are free to be moved toward or away from each other. Inaddition to this feature, there are provided wings 31 and tongues 32 ateach end of each section, said tongues and wings being formed in exactlythe same;

manne as described in connection with the wings and tongues of the endsections of the first form of crate descrlbed, namely, by providingscore lines 33, 33, spaced inwardly from each end of thesectionand-extending end margins of the'sections, and'transverse cutsextending from the inner ends of said first mentioned cuts andintersecting the lower longitudinal margin. A specific departure is madefrom the previous arrangement of the wings and tongues, which will beclearly set forth. Inthis instance the wings 31 are made of a dilferentlength than the tongues 32, that is, the distance measuredlongitudinally from the bend or fold line 33 to the vertical or endmargins ofthe wings is greater than the distance from the same fold lineto the outer edge of the corresponding tongues. Thus, for instance, thelength of the wings may be one inch and the length of the tongues aninch and a quarter or an inch and a half, although, as it will behereinafter seen, it is immaterial whether the wings or the tongues areof greater length. Now referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that, if itis desired to space the body sections air-inch and a quarter or a halfinwardly from the opposite walls of the container. the wings would bebent inwardly toward each other and the tongues bent outwardly. and soact to determine the space separating the body sectionsan'd the wall, inthe manner already described. Now, it is desired to decrease the spaceseparating the body sections and the opposite Walls of the container, itis only necessary to turn or bend the wings outwardly as shown in Fig.7, instead of inwardly, said tongues being simultaneously bentinwarelly,or, in other words, bend. the

Wings 1 into the reverseposition. Thus the wings now act in the samecapacity as did the tongues, and, being shorter, serve to space the bodysections a less distance from the walls of the container. It is obviousthat difierent forms of crate strips 35, 36 must be used in connectionwith the two adjusted positions of the body sections, said stripsdiffering only in the disposition of the locking notches with relationto the ends of the strip, that is, the notches 37 of a strip 35, usedwith the body sections as arranged in Fig. 7, must be spaced inwardly,say one inch, from the ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 9, and in thearrangement shown in Fig. 6 the notches 38 of a strip 36 would be spacedinwardly a correspondingly greater distance, say one inch and a quarteror a half, as shown in Fig. 10. In this manner then it is possible toprovide a crate capable of at least two adjustments in the mannerstated, by merely reversing the position or direction of folding thewings at the ends of the body sections and by providing cross stripswith the corresponding arrangement of locking notches.

The crate strip embodying the features of I my invention has theadvantage of being constructed of the least amount of material necessaryconsistent with strength and rigidity, and, furthermore, contains thenovel features which make it particularly useful and practical crate foruse when the method of packing herein described is practised, namely,that of placing the crate within the container in partially assembledform and adding the cross strips as the rows of goods are successivelycompleted. The adjustable type of crate is of advantage in that itpermits practically a single form of crate to be used for the packing ofvarious kinds of goods which vary in thickness andhence require acertain variation in the spacing of the strips. This is accomplished ina simple manner, without necessitating the alteration of the crate, withthe exception of the form of cross strip used.

The features embodying my invention may be variously modified Withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. and for this reason it isnot desired to limit the scope of the invention except in so far asspecifically pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A separator of the character described. having two upright sidesections laterally spaced apart and provided between their ends withnotches to receive one or more cross strips, and each side section beingprovided at each end thereof with an integral portion adapted to be bentinto a position substantially at right-angles to the body of the sectionand having; an integral flap cut from the body of the section andadapted to project from that side of said section opposite to the sidefrom which said integral portion extends, the lower edges of said flapsand integral portions being in the same plane with the lower edges ofsaid side sections. v

2. A separator of the character described, comprising two upright sidesections laterally spaced apart and provided between their ends withnotches to receive one or more cross strips, and a transverse sectionconnected with said side sections and extending between the same at oneend of the separator, and each side section being provided at each endthereof with a tongue out fromth'e body of the section and adapted toproject outward therefrom' substantially at right-angles to the body ofthe section, and the lower edges of said tongues being in the same planewith the lower edges of said side sections.

3. A separator of the character described.

made from a strip of sheet material and bent along fold lines into aposition having two upright side .sections laterally'spaced apart, and atransverse section extending between said side sections at one end ofthe separator, said side sections beingprovided at the ends thereof withintegral tongues cut from the body of the side sections and adapted tobe bent into positions projecting outward therefrom at the corners ofthe separator. a 7

4. A separator of the tharacter described,

made from a strip of sheet material and bent along fold lines into aposition having two upright side sections laterally spaced apart, and atransverse section extending between said side sections at one end of ithe separator, said. side sections being provided at the ends thereofwith integral tongues cut from the body of the side sections and adaptedto be bent into positions extending outward. therefrom at the cor-- nersof the separator, each side'section being provided at the end thereofopposite said transverse section with an integral wing adapted to bebent toextend inward from the side sections, and the lower edges of saidtongues and wingsbeing in the same plane with the lower edges of saidside sections. 7

A blank for a separator ofthe character described, comprising a fiatstrip of sheet material having, transversely arranged notches openingoutward through one of the longitudinal edges of saidstrip', the latterbeing divided into two end sections and. an intermediate section by ascore or fold line at each end of theintermediate section and extendingtransversely partially. across the strip from the longitudinal edgethereof through which said notches open, said strip being providedadjacent e'ach end thereof with a score or f0 (1 line extendingtrainsverse ly partially across the strip from said presence of tWoWitnesses, this 31st day of last named longitudinal edge thereof andAugust, A. D. 1916.

having a tongue out in the body of the strip at each of said severalfold or score HERBERT FOGG' 5 lines. \Vitnesses:

In testimony that I claim the foregoing FREDERICK W. Bonn, as myinvention, I affix my signature in the L. D. K101).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

